John Ascuaga's Nugget is really promoting the upcoming Romantics concert, with radio advertising on Jack FM and concert listings in the local Sacramento Bee. The Bee even ran the following article on Sunday, January 25, 2009, in the "Encore" arts and travel section. My only wish is that they would have included a photo of the band along with the article. It would have provided more impact.

When the Romantics were recording their "In Heat" album in 1983, they made a last-minute decision.

"We had a song called 'Talking in Your Sleep' and it was the last track to get finished, " says Wally Palmar, one of the founding members of the band, which arrives for a Reno casino debut at John Ascuaga"s Nugget this Saturday. "We actually did it as an afterthought, like 'Hey, why don't we finish up that track?'"

It proved a good idea. "In Heat" was the band's most successful album and "Talking in Your Sleep" reached No.3, also spending two weeks at No. 1 on the Hot Dance Club Play chart. The Romantics became extremely popular and their music has now become a nostalgia staple.

Guitarist and singer Palmar formed the band in 1977 ("It hurts to think that was over 30 years ago," he says), along with lead guitarist Mike Skill, bassist Rich Cole and drummer Jimmy Marinos. Palmar and Skill were also the principal songwriters.

They came out of Detroit, influenced by the Birtish Invasion of the 1960's, the Detroit rock of people like Iggy Pop and the punk rock of groups like the Ramones. Unlike many of their contemporaries, though, the Romantics never went much into angst. Their music was more upbeat and catchy.

They were also one of the first bands to gain fame through MTV, a new network at the time.

"When we grew up, we had nothing like it. There was 'American Bandstand' on TV, but no other outlet. MTV was great. You'd be hard-pressed to find a music video on it now, though. It's not what it used to be."

The last Romantics album was "61/49" in 2003, a little too long ago for Palmar's liking. There's a sense of urgency when he talks about the next album.

"Right now , we are having a blast and we have a couple of songs recorded already, but we need to finish up more tunes. We have to do it this year. We have been planning a new album but then we started to get busy. That's both good and bad. We'd get going and get concert offers and good ones, decent paying.

"This year, we are not so bogged down. We have got to do it, for us and for our fans so they don't start thinking that '61/49' was a fluke."

The Nugget concert evidently was a good offer and the band is looking forward to the gig, preparing, according to Palmar, "songs from our first album all the way through to '61/49.' Basically, what the fans expect to hear from us is what they are going to get, along with some new songs which should show up on an album soon."

The Romantics play at 7:30 p.m., Saturday at John Ascuaga's Nugget; $25; (800)648-1177 or janugget.com.

When I last talked to them about it (summer 2007), Mike and Wally both said they had a number of new songs written and that Brad had written a couple of songs for the band as well. At that point Mike said they were trying to coordinate their schedules to meet in Detroit for a few days to rehearse the new stuff and continue writing. Not sure if that ever happened, but if they have some stuff down, perhaps it did ... you're right, Rob, we're lucky they are still at it!

As I drove into Reno Saturday, the first thing I saw was a two-story tall bill board advertising the Romantics show at the Nugget Casino. I thought, "This is the kind of promotion the Romantics deserve and should have been getting all along."

They played an awesome set; energetic and tight. The sound system was great, and I heard some chord changes, especially in "Come See Me", that I had never heard before. The crowd was very responsive, with about a quarter of the audience joining the band on stage during "What I Like About You". The big draw back was that tables crowded right up to the stage, so there was no place on the floor to jump up and down and "bop" to the music without annoying the person behind you.

Their set included the following: (I forgot a pen to write the songs down, and all of the set lists were snatched up by "greedy" fans, so my list may not be complete)

Rock You UpMidnight to SixAngelsOne in a Million (soft, romantic version. Wally's vocals were very strong)61/49Come See Me (Coz makes this with rockin' slide chord changes)RespectFirst In LineNight Like ThisTom Boy Stone PonyTalking In Your SleepWhat I Like About You

In addition to the audience joining the group on stage, Brad shredded the Romantics bass drum cover with his power playing. Wally was most bemused bythis, wondering aloud if the show could go with the cover in tatters. Of course it could, and it did. All in all, this was a most eventful and fun show.

Hmmm. I don't believe so. Wally did express a bit of frustration that the logistics of putting out another album were a bit daunting. He did confirm that the group has a couple of tunes in the can, but not enough for an album. I did not press him any further on the subject.